3 Mud Masks for Oily & Combination Skin
If you have oily or combination skin, then you are probably familiar with mud masks. The oil-absorbing qualities of mud and clay have been known for millennia, so it only makes sense that we continue enjoying the benefits of this natural wonder to this day. I don’t really have a favorite clay mask, I think most of them are great, so today I wanted to share three mud masks that I’ve been testing lately.
Alaska Glacial Mud Co. Glacial Facial Purifying Mineral Mud Masque
Alaska Glacial Mud Co. Glacial Facial Purifying Mineral Mud Masque ($35 for 3.5 oz) – Talk about a long name, am I right? I remember seeing this company on Shark Tank a while back, and I don’t think they secured a deal back then, but it’s good to see that Lauren’s business is thriving despite that fact. What makes this glacial mud unique is the place where it’s sourced – the pristine riverbed of Copper River in Alaska. Aside from the mineral-rich mud, each mask also contains a special combination of certified organic and wildcrafted botanical extracts from the Pacific Northwest to nourish and protect the skin.
I received Lavender-Peppermint, but the mask is also available in Unscented and Vanilla-Lavender varieties. If you like the cooling sensation from the peppermint oil on your skin then you will probably like this kind, but for me it was mildly irritating. The mask goes on a little patchy, so you’re going to need a brush to spread it evenly. This texture is completely normal for natural mud, it just takes a little getting used to. The mask did a good job removing excess oil from my pores, but what I really loved is the scrubby feeling when I was removing it with lukewarm water. Those crushed glacial minerals polished my skin and made it look clean and radiant.
You will LOVE it if:
- You enjoy supporting small businesses.
- You like using natural products with organic and wildcrafted ingredients.
- You have oily or combination skin.
- You are looking for a gentle physical exfoliant. This mask is 2 products in 1.
- You support cruelty-free brands.
You will HATE it if:
- You are sensitive to any of the ingredients.
- You avoid jar packaging.
- You avoid essential oils. Choose the unscented variety instead!
Ingredients: Alaska glacial mud***, purified water, glycerin*, emulsifying wax nf*, natural kaolin, safflower seed oil**, vitamin b5, glyceryl stearate se*, extracts of yarrow**, horsetail**, elderflower**, blueberry**, cranberry** and kelp***; vitamin e, natural xanthan gum, bisabolol*, steam-distilled essential oils (depending on type)**^, 1,2 hexanediol*, caprylyl glycol*, tropolone*. ^Refreshing lavender-peppermint version includes essential oils of lavender and peppermint. Relaxing vanilla-lavender includes essential oil of lavender and Vanilla Planifolia (vanilla) extract. *plant-derived, **certified organic, ***wild-crafted
Sky Organics Dead Sea Mud Mask
Sky Organics Dead Sea Mud Mask ($29.95 for 8.8 oz) – Sky Organics is a small indie company that totally took over my bathtub with their heavenly organic bath bombs and I really enjoy their skincare DIY bundles, too. This mud mask adds to the list of products that I will be recommending to my friends and fam next time they ask for my opinion. With that said, I was pretty excited to try this one because my skin responds to Dead Sea mud really well. I used Dead Sea salts and mud-based skincare back when I was a teenager to help with my acne, and it worked like magic, so I know this is good stuff.
Sky Organics Dead Sea Mud Mask is the bomb! Of the three in this roundup, it’s the creamiest and takes the longest time to dry, so you won’t be sitting with a parched face. That is why I think it can work even for someone with dry skin. The texture is soft and cushiony, it has almost a bouncy quality to it when you press on it at the top. You can use either your hands or a brush to apply. I found no significant difference in the evenness of the layer, which is yet another proof of how smooth and creamy the mask is. Unlike the Alaskan mud mask, this one didn’t feel scrubby during the removal. It washed off evenly with water, and did not appear abrasive in any way, although due to the nature of the ingredients I’m sure the skin experienced some gentle exfoliation.
The mask has a very mild buttery, even generic ‘moisturizer’ scent if you know what I mean, but whatever it is, it’s all-natural, according to the ingredient list.
You will LOVE it if:
- You enjoy supporting indie companies.
- You like using 100% natural products with organic ingredients.
- You have congested pores in need of cleaning.
- You think mud masks are too drying. This one is different!
- You support cruelty-free & vegan brands.
- You prefer skincare with no added parabens, artificial colors, fragrances, or dyes.
You will HATE it if:
- You are sensitive to any of the ingredients.
- You avoid jar packaging.
- You avoid essential oils.
Ingredients: 100% Pure Dead Sea Mud, Organic Shea Butter, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Aloe Vera Juice, Organic Vegetable Glycerin, Organic Jojoba Oil, Hickory Bark Extract, Organic Calendula Oil, Organic Eucalyptus Oil, Filtered Water, Xanthan Gum.
Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment
Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment ($69 for 1.7 oz) is the most indulgent of the three masks, but it also seems to be the most effective for unclogging the pores. SUPERMUD contains Activated Charcoal, AHA and BHA, and the brand’s proprietary TEAOXI™ complex that’s often featured in other Glamglow products. Among the three, this one absorbed the most oil, so if your pores are totally suffocating, you should give it a try. Stop by your local Sephora and ask them to make you a sample, they’re always happy to enable a potential customer. 🙂
Due to popular demand Glamglow recently upgraded SUPERMUD from its original 34 gram container to a 50 gram container, and even kept the same price, so now customers get a better bang for their buck. Considering that a little goes a long way with this mask, a bigger jar will last a very long time. With how I use it, I would say it will last me anywhere between 7 to 10 months.
SUPERMUD does have a strong minty/green tea/menthol type fragrance, and it also makes the skin feel like it’s on fire every time you use it, but to me the results are well worth the torture. After washing off the mask, my nose and chin were pristine. Not a black/gray dot in sight! It was also the quickest to dry, so if time is an issue, you could still have a facial in 5 minutes and fly out the door.
You will LOVE it if:
- You’ve used other Glamglow products before and they worked well for your skin.
- You have oily or combination skin.
- You want to unclog the pores and deal with the blackheads in less than 10 minutes.
- You are super busy and don’t have a lot of time to spend on skincare.
- You avoid parabens in skincare.
You will HATE it if:
- You prefer all-natural skincare.
- Jar packaging is an issue.
- If you are sensitive to fragrance.
- If you have very sensitive skin.
- You are sensitive to any of the ingredients.
Ingredients: Water, Kaolin, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Sodium Hydroxide, Eucalyptus Globulus, Mandelic Acid, Charcoal, Fragrance [Benzyl Benzoate, Linalool], Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Pyruvic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Maltodextrin, Iron Oxides, Peppermint Oil, Butylene Glycol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Glycerin, Chamoilla Recutita Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Hendera Helix Extract, Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Tartaric Acid.
Top to Bottom: Sky Organics Dead Sea Mud Mask, Alaska Glacial Mud Co. Glacial Facial Purifying Mineral Mud Masque, Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment
BOTTOM LINE:
Although I enjoyed using them all, I think my personal pick would be Glamglow Supermud, because I often forget to use a mud mask until it’s too late. Even though it burns, dries to an uncomfortable crusty layer, and has a very strong scent, Supermud was still the most effective of the bunch, at least for my skin type. Glamglow products are used backstage specifically for this ability to dramatically improve the condition of the models/actors’ skin, and the formula has to be super potent to do that. The difference between Supermud and the other two is basically that one is an industrial strength degreaser and the other two are natural counter sprays for daily maintenance. Whether to use more natural masks more often or a super powerful one on occasion is ultimately up to you!
Which one of these three mud masks would you like to try the most? Let me know in the comments below!
